HUMAN-cow embryos have been created in a world first at Newcastle University in England, hailed by the scientific community, but labelled "monstrous" by opponents.

A team has grown hybrid embryos after injecting human DNA into eggs taken from cows' ovaries, which had most of their genetic material removed.

The embryos survived for three days and are intended to provide a limitless supply of stem cells to develop therapies for diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries, overcoming a worldwide shortfall in human embryos.

Dr Teija Peura, director of human embryonic stem cell laboratories at the Australian Stem Cell Centre, said somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) had been done between animal species, but the "99 per cent human" embryos could boost research.

"If successful, they would provide an important additional research tool to help realisation of stem cell-based therapies for human diseases," Dr Peura said.

"All avenues of research, including SCNT . . . need to be encouraged if we want to fulfil the promises of stem cell technologies."

But her colleague, Dr Andrew Laslett, warned the process was yet to yield a stem cell line and so it remained only an academic possibility.

In January, the Fertilisation and Embryology Authority gave Newcastle University a licence to do the work, but the British Parliament would debate the longer-term future of such research next month.

Under the licence, embryos are not allowed to be developed beyond 14 days.

Preliminary findings of the embryo program were presented in Israel last week, and the head of the university's Institute of Human Genetics, Prof John Burn, said further evaluation would be done before the full details were published.

"If the team can produce cells which will survive in culture, it will open the door to a better understanding of disease processes without having to use precious human eggs," Prof Burn said.

"Cells grown using animal eggs cannot be used to treat patients on safety grounds, but they will help bring nearer the day when new stem cell therapies are available."

The Catholic Church in Britain branded the creations as "monstrous" - a view supported by Caroline Chisholm Centre for Health Ethics director Fr Kevin McGovern.

"An almost-human embryo is being created and then it's being destroyed," he said.

"I cannot see that that respects human life or the dignity of human life.

"Human beings - or even almost human embryos - are not just things that you can use in a laboratory experiment.

"What is being created is life.

"No one knows exactly what would grow from these embryos.

"If this is approved in the UK, there will be renewed pressure to permit it here, and we will travel further down the slippery slope of allowing just about anything."

It is not the first time hybrids have been created.

The method was pioneered by Dr Hui Zhen Sheng's team at the Shanghai Second Medical University, China, where she fused human cells with rabbit eggs to produce early stage embryos, which in turn yielded human stem cells.

It's just DNA. People need to let scientists and doctors from do this and people who don't even understand this kind of research need to stop trying to halt it. Once stem cell research starts saving lives, the Pope will probably be the first in line for transplants and therapies. Worship your "God", and let everyone else progress in the real world.

If you don't agree with the science research, don't use the benefits that stem from it! If this provides treatment for MS or parkisons, great! If you have MS and don't agree with the processes used in developing a cure. Don't take it!!!!! Just don't force suffering on others. They aren't trying to make a man cow hybrid.

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Heath Ledger

sooo. its not a really a human-cow; its a human that grew in a cow's egg basically. theres no actual cow DNA, because as mentioned above, it was REMOVED and REPLACED with human DNA. if hatched, it would just be a human, and not be like a cow at all. I'm a doctor.

people have to understand that these are CELLS. Cells that could save millions of lives potentially. We're not talking about some bizarre cow/human narnia-esque hybrid. There is no ethical dilemma involved in this, and those who thing otherwise are morons. There never has and never will be any intention to create living, thinking animals or people purely to use them as test subjects.
Sounds like a Ewan McGregor movie….

Re: anita ranmal – it's not using "animals" just their eggs. They're not going to have a half cow/human walking around and put it in a cage to do research on it. They just need the stem cells with human DNA so that they can try to grow new human cells for patients, test new drugs, and other very important things that are worth a few bovine cells.

Awesome, its about time we are making some forward progress. . . Religion needs to stay away from the medical field, it only slows down the United States ability have state of the art medicine. . Religious people need to watch the movie Zeitgiest and realize whats really going on.

okay, we're fucking beyond the 14th century now, and embryo's aren't little humans, they're little clusters of cells with no consciousness and CANNOT FEEL PAIN, have no emotions, and don't have souls. THEY'RE LITTLE CLUMPS OF MATTER.

I'm all for research, but I really don't think this is right. Regular embryos, fine, but what is the point of make a cow-human? How is that significant to research? Can't we just use human embryos and cow embryos… separately?

But now, that's all about to change, at least according to TMZ! That's because a week from tomorrow -- on December 17 -- Khloé and Lamar's split will be legal, final, and FULL! And that's all she wrote!

As the final divorce docs are set to be stamped by a judge on that day just over a week from right now, the final terms are pretty standard and straightforward, too: